Overview

URBAN HUB is an interactive platform for people working on the future of cities and mobility.
We collect personal stories about urban landmarks and future ideas for the sustainable development of cities worldwide.

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Sustainability

Sustainability

Repurposing historic landmarks

10.10.2018

In our rapidly developing cities, buildings and other structures often outlive their original purpose – but not their usefulness. Through adaptive reuse, old factory buildings can be converted into profitable residential, office or commercial property, and highway bridges can become public spaces.

University and industry collaboration

18.07.2018

Instead of industries and universities competing, increasingly they work together. Prof. Denkena, IWF at University of Hannover, and Dr. Meier, thyssenkrupp Elevator, discuss cooperation and what needs to change to create and transfer knowledge in an era of rapid developments and new technologies.

University and corporate collaborations

13.06.2018

The mission of a university may differ from that of a company. In recent years, however, mutual benefits have become apparent to both. Universities offer their knowledge, expertise, and access to students, while businesses offer funding as well as real-world business experience and contacts.

Monica Miller Brown talks sustainability

05.06.2018

Today we demand clean air, clean water, and clean buildings. And the building industry is making up for lost time – waking up to the need for greater transparency and sustainability in its practices. Monica Miller Brown, a leader in sustainable design, shares her insights and hopes.

Copenhagen energy efficiency summit

22.05.2018

The Energy Efficiency Global Forum is a top event in the field of sustainability. It brings together high-level people from business, government, and academia for two days of intense dialogue and mobilization. This year, EE Global meets in Copenhagen. The theme: Innovation, Investment, Impact.

Sustainability

Ensuring the future is green – Environmental sustainable development draws on concepts of little waste, lower consumption and switching to green, environmentally-sustainable resources like solar and wind or materials which can constantly be up-cycled.

Technology

Technology

Smart homes & Smart cities

08.02.2019

Smart homes use technology to make life better for people in their homes. Smart cities use technology to make life better for communities. Is there a connection? There will be. Smart homes are increasingly seen as the next frontier in the continuing evolution of all cities into smart cities.

Mariza delivers home solutions

16.01.2019

Mariza Fraser has years of sales experience across many continents. Now, as Senior Sales Manager at thyssenkrupp Home Solutions UK, she brings innovative stair and home lifts into people’s homes. Her team just won a big in-house award. URBAN HUB talks with Mariza about the secret of her success.

Deane Simpson: aging populations

18.10.2018

The elderly population in many regions around the world is increasing. How does that impact architecture and urban planning? Professor (and architect) Deane Simpson has been researching this area, especially the impact of the emerging “Young-Old” on the construction of buildings and communities.

Urban apps for change

28.08.2018

People are getting more involved in their cities. Once upon a time, they signed petitions, wrote letters, or protested to create change. Nowadays, urban apps and smart cities collaborative platforms are what city-dwellers use to access and impact the urban decision-making process.

Brazil’s Internet of Things

11.04.2018

Brazil has launched an ambitious strategy “The Internet of Things: an action plan for Brazil” that has unleashed a new wave of local innovators and projects and encouraged tech companies to set up shop in Brazil. The country is now poised to make its mark in the world of the Internet of Things.

Technology

Using fewer resources for bigger change – What makes the world go around? Innovative technology. And in mobility, building, energy and manufacturing, especially green innovations are changing how people interact with and shape their environment.

Buildings

Buildings

Small cities / tall buildings

21.11.2018

Tall buildings aren’t just for megacities, large cities, or even medium-sized cities. Small cities also like to build skyscrapers. Some do it because of space constraints while others do it simply to show their pride in their small but still very urban environments. Here are ten examples.

Foundations of high-density cities

21.09.2018

Many modern cities are built on less than solid ground. Skyscraper engineers have been dealing with this issue since the dawn of the high-rise era. And the higher the building, the stronger the foundation needs to be. URBAN HUB goes underground to take a look at the foundations of modern urban life.

Mixed-use buildings

20.06.2018

Mixing uses is the way to go. As urban populations grow, buildings need to be more than a one-stop shop. To ensure the optimal use of resources and space, mixed-use development can house everything from residential to cultural needs while supporting the growth of a diverse neighborhood.

10 incredible buildings

30.05.2018

What is it that makes a building stand out nowadays? Should it be incredibly tall, have an original shape, include greenery or is it what’s inside that counts? The following 10 buildings have something special about them that has gained the attention of architects and laypeople from around the world.

Ice architecture – cool examples

21.12.2017

Ice is everywhere—on the roads, in our drinks, but what about in your bed? Inuit people have been building their houses with blocks of ice and snow for centuries, but what about modern builders’ coolest creations? Check out the hottest trends in icy architecture from around the world!

Buildings

Cities

Cities

Hong Kong’s mega projects

19.03.2019

Hong Kong: moving mega projects & non-stop development. Take a stroll through the Pearl of the Orient to discover some of the most incredible infrastructure projects in the world and learn about the city of constant change.

NYC redevelops Hudson Yards

13.03.2019

NYC’s Hudson Yards may be the most anticipated urban redevelopment project in the world. It is definitely the most expensive in US history. Combining sustainability, smart mobility and public space with homes and jobs, it shows how cities with fixed boundaries can creatively make room for new growth.

Top cities for carnival

06.03.2019

In February, we start yearning for the first day of spring. Many cities, however, don’t take the last days of winter sitting down. URBAN HUB visits some popular Carnival parties and gives some insights on how cities celebrate differently but also handle crowds with technology and mobility solutions.

Unbeatable urban romantic views

14.02.2019

URBAN HUB has picked out some of its favorite traditional spots for romantic views in the city, but also added a few with a modern twist. No matter what city you’re in, romantic spots are not hard to find. Nestled in nature or modern architecture, lookouts for lovers in the city abound!

Doha meets the challenge

30.01.2019

Fueled by enormous wealth and inspired by a breathtaking vision, Doha may be the most impressive and elegant construction site in the world. Today, Doha plays in the same league as Gulf neighbors Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This will be on spectacular display in 2022 at the soccer world championship.

Cities

Smart inside and out – In many ways, the smart city concept is simply good urban planning that incorporates both advances in digital technology and new thinking in the age-old city concepts of relationships, community, environmental sustainability, participatory democracy, good governance and transparency.

Energy Efficiency

Energy Efficiency

Urban microclimates inspire change

04.01.2019

Microclimates are commonly found in nature. In cities, though, they are often seen as an unintended and undesirable consequence of urbanization – heat islands are the best known of these. But a new push in planning is changing how we think about urban microclimates, and what we do with them.

Climate-proofing coastal cities

01.03.2018

Most of the world’s megacities are located on coasts. Powerful storms put them all at risk of flooding, and extreme weather is only expected to become more common and severe. Meanwhile, sea levels are rising. So what kinds of coastal protection solutions are being tested? URBAN HUB takes a look.

Heating things up sustainably

11.01.2018

Many colder countries consume more energy for heating than for electrical power, so it should come as no surprise that the ongoing global concern with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability should be driving new trends in keeping people warm. URBAN HUB is hot on the trail…

Mega projects and the environment

25.10.2017

The mega project sometimes brings to mind construction that leaves behind damage along with the gains. Recent massive infrastructures have learned from past mistakes and now focus on an environmentally-friendly impact through better planning and technology and putting the planet first.

Policy change saves energy

14.09.2017

How can NGOs effectively lobby for energy efficiency? Through education and outreach or activism? The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) focuses on policy change and partners with industry thought leaders who provide them with know-how and real-life examples of the benefits of energy efficiency.

Energy Efficiency

Keeping the energy in and waste out – Energy efficiency combines educating people about consumption with new, improved, and green building construction that reduces an urban center’s environmental footprint.

Smart Mobility

Smart Mobility

Industrialization of MULTI

21.02.2019

Uwe Winter is responsible for the industrialization of MULTI – that is, making it into a viable product that will redefine the possibilities of building design. In an interview, he discusses the challenges and opportunities that MULTI faces on the market.

Cities in the sky

13.11.2018

Massive urban growth has changed the way we move around cities. But it has also created vertical bottlenecks that stand in the way of efficient point-to-point transportation. The solution? We must transform tall “silo” buildings into connected portals – and create new space for cities in the sky.

The benefits of skybridges

22.10.2018

Skybridges between buildings used to be uncommon, close to the ground, or used for specific purposes, such as in cold-winter Minneapolis. But today’s skybridges offer high-level, multi-purpose connectivity. The Skybridges Symposium in Dubai lifts up the exciting potential and benefits of skybridges.

Mega events reboot mobility

10.08.2018

Mega events offer cities a unique chance to impose a comprehensive order on their urban mobility systems. City planners can use an upcoming mega event to review their systems, fill in the gaps, implement new solutions, and plan for future needs. This benefits both the event and the post-event city.

Mobility megaprojects in Mumbai

02.07.2018

India is on the move. With a growing population and a growing economy, the country has been implementing a steady stream of ambitious projects covering skills development, energy, industrial corridors, smart cities, digitalization, and mobility, with Mumbai as a prime example.

Smart Mobility

Keeps people moving to better solutions – People fed up with congested cities, are innovating smart mobility with new mobile technologies and intuitive apps which integrate public transportation, better infrastructure, and car sharing.

Urban Lifestyle

Urban Lifestyle

Top urban ski spots

24.01.2019

Picking a destination for a holiday or break can feel like a hard choice. In the winter, many people would like to combine some invigorating cold-weather athletics with the thrill of experiencing a new city. Never fear: Many great urban venues also offer easy access to the joys of downhill skiing.

The Hanging City

13.12.2018

Kostas Poulopoulos, founder of SquareOne architects (Copenhagen, Denmark), discusses his vision of the Hanging City – interconnected buildings that offer massive horizontal urban realms in the sky, providing new paths to physical and social connectivity among the integrated buildings.

Art helps rebuild Detroit

07.11.2018

The Heidelberg Project in Detroit is one of the most famous urban art projects in the world. Its polka-dotted houses and scavenged, “found object” art works are symbols of the city’s creative fight against urban blight. Today, the project continues to find ways to use art to bring change to the city.

Water inspires new building

04.10.2018

Go with the flow is not usually a mantra of urban architecture. Yet iconic buildings with a distinctly water-informed design are rising on waterfronts. Residential buildings have long used water for inspiration, but now large-scale structures are harmonizing the man-made with the natural.

Elevators symbolize modern cities

16.08.2018

When we marvel at modern cities, we often forget the single most important innovation that made them possible: the elevator. Let’s follow the elevator on its remarkable journey, from its birth to its unique status today as the unsung shaper and enabler of our cities, our world, and our future.

Urban Lifestyle

Urbanization

Urbanization

Jess Zimbabwe: urban leadership

29.11.2018

Cities are made up of buildings and the people who use or encounter these buildings. Naturally, private developers want profits, residents want quality of life, and everybody wants a good economy. Government leaders try to balance these needs. Jess Zimbabwe and the Rose Center help them.

Ben Hammersley: surviving megatrends

20.04.2018

What challenges does the future hold for us, and how can we overcome them? In the second part of the URBAN HUB interview with noted futurist Ben Hammersley, he discusses the testing times awaiting us because of current megatrends, and some strategies for coping and thriving in the world of tomorrow.

Urban planning from above

05.04.2018

The point of urban planning depends on the era, the decision-makers, geography, technology and many other factors. Just as drawings and maps help us to navigate places or understand things, so too do photographs. Particularly aerial photos help us to see the bigger picture of city planning.

Megatrends – with Ben Hammersley

26.03.2018

Popular, personable and provocative, futurist Ben Hammersley is in high demand around the world, as businesses and government grapple with the uncertainties of the digital future. In an exclusive interview, URBAN HUB talks with Ben about the megatrends that are already propelling us into the future.

The green belt debate

11.12.2017

How much nature does a city need, and where? There are many options, ranging from rooftop gardens and wedge parks, to large city parks and ambitious urban growth boundaries (UGB). But it is urban green belts that are now at the heart of controversy in cities like London. Why? URBAN HUB investigates.